"What's the matter?"
"Something is going wrong. The familiars I sent with the army are warning me of an impending threat."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that my army is being attacked by Remus."
"Oh dear, will they be alright?"
"No."
"Gil?"
"If nothing is done, they will all die."
"What should we do?"
"You won't have to do nothing."
"?"
"I'll settle this myself."
"What?"
And in a flash, Gilgamesh teleported away.
"Where did he go?"
"Don't tell me that idiot is going to fight that bastard alone."
"Quick, we must follow him. Galter-"
"I'm sorry, my ability to teleport is limited. He's very likely outside my range."
"If we run, we can reach him."
"I doubt it. You are in a point in which Reality exists and doesn't exist, not to mention that those who are watching us probably won't allow you."
"Oh Gods, we have to do something... Gil..."
Somewhere else, on the frontlines...
"These damn soldiers just keep on coming!"
"Yeah, I know you're used to ladies coming, but men have to do it too."
"Do I look like I'm in the mood for jokes?"
"You look like someone I could cheer up."
"Just keep on fighting."
The Roman centurions attempted to overwhelm the smaller French army. However, with the help of the Three Musketeers and Jeanne, they were able to keep up. Jeanne danced around the frontlines, aiding those in need and picking a fight with the Roman generals.
"Who do you think I am? I am one of the greatest emperors, I'm Caligula!"
The man in front of her shouted as he shot at her with his bow. She blocked his attacks and dashed forward, striking his feet, making him lose balance before hitting him with her flagpole.
Caligula stepped back before collapsing, unconscious. Other altered Roman figures attempted to subdue her, but she managed to resist them and fight them off. Just as a huge man with a club was about to hit her, a crimson spear impaled him.
"Pathetic, Emperor Commodus. A slouch in this reality like in any other."
"Thank you, Emperor Augustus."
"If we retreat now, we'll be massacred. We have to hold out a little longer."
The man said with a commanding voice. He had a great presence despite not being particularly tall, and his green eyes expressed great determination. Calling back the spear in his hand, he reverted it back to a cloth before it morphed into a sword.
"Come on, let's go."
"Yes! All troops, let's hold out until-"
"Who would have thought that vermins like you would give my army so much trouble."
"What?"
"I get the pharaoh, but to be humiliated by a bunch of humans... as Heroic Spirits, you truly have failed your King... but that's fine. That means that it's up to me to prove that we are the righteous ones, we are the powerful, we are the right timeline. I shall lead my reality, my empire to victory. So just follow my lead, follow the light of your King."
Jeanne didn't have time to realise what was going on. In a split second, an imposing figure had appeared behind her. She looked back. His presence was unmatched and uneasy. Every bone in her body ordered her to run away, but every muscle was completely paralysed.
Before she could move away, the man, with dark olive skin, short blue hair and menacing red eyes created a spear that manifested in his right hand and tried to stab her, only for the weapon to be broken in half by a golden axe.
"How disgraceful... a weak army is the sign of a weak reign, and a weak reign is the sign of a weak ruler. How foolish you are, failed founder of Rome, if you think that leading your army is a sign of strength."
"Who are you?"
"I'm the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, the rightful ruler of the real Earth and of all humans. I'll give you one chance to kneel before me."
"King of Heroes... great, if you claim yourself to be ruler of this unjust world... then I'll start by executing you."
Although he couldn't see the future in front of him, Gilgamesh was confident in his ability to at the very least stall his enemy. He fired more than a dozen weapons at the Latin man. With one swift motion of his right arm, Remus blew away his attack and generated another spear. He threw it at Gilgamesh.
The King of Heroes summoned a line of shields that shattered instantly, stopping the attack just barely. Still confused and surprised by such speed and power, he could barely react as a golden spear made up of two intertwining branches looked right in his eyes.
Summoning a sword, he barely avoided getting blinded, however, using the blunt part of his weapon, Remus sent the King of Heroes flying. Jeanne ran toward him as Augustus attempted to strike the Grand Lancer from the back, only to be blocked without even making him turn.
"Gilgamesh?! What are you doing here?"
"Not on vacation, that's for sure. We came to help you."
"We?"
"Yeah, well, we can continue this after we beat him."
As Remus engaged Augustus in a fight, Gilgamesh opened a huge portal over them.
"Hey, you, move away!"
Transforming his sword into a whip, Augustus sent Remus upwards and moved away in a blaze of flames. Many giant pillars fell down from the sky, raining down on Remus.
"This radiance... it really does remind me... of that traitor... thank you, King of Heroes... now I'm really pissed off."
Extending his right arm, he created a few spears and launched them all up, knocking away all the attacks effortlessly. As he looked down, Remus saw right under him Gilgamesh readying an attack.
"Merodach - The First Sin"
A huge slash of light sprang forward, seemingly trying to split the sky. Pointing his golden spear in his left hand towards it, Remus didn't even throw it. He simply released it from his grip and made gravity to the rest. And yet, it cleaved through his enemy's attack.
"King of Heroes!"
Jeanne shouted worriedly while putting herself between Gilgamesh and the spear.
"Luminosité Eternelle!"
Unleashing her full power, she was able to stop the assault.
"Are you ok?"
"Behind you!"
Remus was already next to her and tried stabbing her once more. Augustus came in and blocked it. In an instant, Remus called back his golden spear and impaled him.
"Emperor Augustus!"
"You fought well, first emperor. You're the height of the Rome I despise, but if there was something I could save from this loathsome world, it would be your reign. Fall now, and I'll give you a gracious and painless death."
"Painless... no death is truly painless... as for gracious, I find no grace in just surrendering. My ancestors would never accept such a resolve. And you should now, after all, I'm one of your descendants."
"You're not mine. You carry the blood of that man..."
"And of his father, the God of War... aren't you his son too?"
Before Remus could seal the deal, a huge fiery explosion erupted from Augustus.
"We can't win in this situation. King of Heroes, take as many soldiers as you can and move them away from here, just like you arrived."
"What are you saying? We can take him down right now."
"You almost died twice! And you put a fellow hero in danger! Do you want to keep being a nuisance, or do you want to actually help?"
"..."
"Take this lesson and engrave it in your mind. Next time you fight someone like him, use all you got, get help, try and do everything in your power to defeat him. Never take victory for granted. Three legions can disappear one day in the woods, and a great hero all alone can fall at any moment. Remember this well."
"I can bring you away too."
"If we all retreat, nothing stops him from reaching the palace and destroying everyone. I'll weaken his army and make him use up as much energy as possible. You'll have time to organise your defense."
"We can't just leave you here! You'll die!"
"A man dies when his ideas and everything he has built do. Rome still stands. And so will I!"
With some hesitation, Gilgamesh concentrated and opened as many portals as possible, navigating the flow of spacetime, finding a bridge, and pushing their bodies in it as delicately as possible. When he opened his eyes again, he and thousands of men were in the garden of Versailles.
"Rome still stands... you're wrong, emperor. I will burn Rome, I will burn this world to the ground and rebuild it into a better one, one where justice exists. I will bring justice."
"Someone like you is incapable of justice. All you can do is envy. But if justice is truly what you crave... I'll show you the justice of an emperor!"
Sending his sword into the sky, a passage opened up, into the barren land of space. Outside of it two bodies emerged. A beautiful bright planet of yellow colour and a stony red planet.
"From the coasts of the fallen city,
To the river of promises,
A city of marble I built
Blood of splendor and of war
Courses through my veins
My glory is eternal
Just like my creation
The Capital of the World won't fall!
PAX AUGUSTO VICTA - The light of the Venerable one"
The two planets spun around and crashed against each other, releasing a blinding light and an explosion that could be seen all the way to the palace. Gilgamesh stared at its brightness, which seemed like it would never fade.
"... it won't be in vain."